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KLASH of the TITANS

October 25, 2024

756

Written by Wilmar Mejia

Klash of the Titans might evoke a movie franchise centered about the titans, those greek Gods that preceded the more famous Olympians, Zeus chief among them. Without delving into mythological correctness, the word Titan conjures a human-like being with more strength than any other creature, and more powerful than any other creature, yet still dwelling among us, not like the Olympians up above, but as Titans all around us. And on October 20 at The Factory in downtown Dallas, Kreator and Testament unveiled the sheer power of their music to demolish the crowd and demonstrate why these are bands are into their fourth decade touring and putting out record as if the energy of immortality were with them at all times.

Opening this 33-date run of North America, the bay-area band Possessed opened the show with an eight song set that featured three tracks from their Seven Churches debut album, considered to be the definitive first “death metal” album. Committed to extending their mark beyond their monumental early peak, they also performed three songs from their latest release, Revelations of Oblivion, which signaled the beginning of a new recording contract with famed label Nuclear Blast. While four of the members on stage have joined the band since 2011, their original singer Jeff Becerra was still on stage, and while a criminal attempt and gun shots on his life left him on a wheelchair, his energy delivering those songs excited the crowd and explains not only why they are still revered and a welcome highlight of this tour, but why and how they created one of the most intense music genres.

Following in the schedule, yet labeled as co-headliners, was Kreator. A german band formed in 1982 they presented themselves accompanied by their stunning stage setup, featuring gigantic 15 ft. inflatable demons which the band refers to as Violent Mind. Two of them were set to each side of the stage, while one was stationed behind the drum riser. There were also red drapes that seemed to hand from the ceiling all the way down to 8 feet above the stage, but a mere glance revealed these were the bloodied tunics of four figures hanged to death. Following with the sinisted theme that has been ever present in Kreator’s lyrics and album covers, there were half a dozen impaled figures next to the drum riser, and two executioners that would walk onto stage briefly while the bandvmembes took well deserved one minute breaks, and instrumental introduction to other songs played filling the venue. The singer also used some of the intervals to salute the crowd using a few words in Spanish, signaling the worldwide appeal of this band and the diversity of the crowd present at The Factory.

But Kreator’s stage antics are nothing but a solid complement to their phenomenally intense show. The sound of this band is so powerful that it is hard to imagine it comes from a four piece band. Also hard to imagine is that a band that has been around for over 40 years can still put out phenomenally strong new music. This was proven by the fact that 9 of their 13 songs performed were from their most recent six albums (including 666 – World Divided, a 2020 single), released since 2001. While only one song (Phobia, from 1997’s Outcast) represented their five album run of the 90s, their 80s output included songs from three albums, making a total of ten albums represented in their set. Not many bands can afford to present such a lengthy oeuvre to a devoted fan base that wants to hear them all.

Even though their place in the running order makes them appear as headliners, Testament clearly shared the bill with Kreator and spent equal amounts of time on stage. This is however where their similarities end, as far as this performance goes. Testament re-released their first two albums, 1987’s The Legacy and 1988’s New World Order this past July, and this performance seemed to focus on promoting these albums as made evident by their fourteen song setlist split equally with seven songs from each of those albums. Not a single song from any other album. Equally sparse was their stage setup, featuring a colored backdrop with illustrations that represented what appeared to be a battle of demons and angels. But there was no battle on stage, as singer Chuck Billy delivered his signature vocals with smiles appearing ever so often, both between him and the fans, as well as him and his bandmates. You could clearly tell that the band was having a great time on stage, performing some songs that were written 41 years ago, and you cannot ask for much better than that at a metal show: great songs, intense crowd, cool stage set-up, and worth mentioning, a great sound system, which for fans of the Dallas live music scene, is clearly one thing that The Factory is known for.